Turaki-led PDP backs Adeleke for Osun poll

The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of Nigeria's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially declared its support for Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord party in the upcoming Osun governorship election. This decision comes after the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld the nomination of Adebayo Adedamola as the PDP's candidate.

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The panel of the court held that the party, having duly conducted primaries which were monitored by INEC and the name of the winner forwarded to the commission, there was no legal impediment to the participation of the candidate in the election.

According to Mr. Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary for the PDP's Interim National Working Committee, the court's judgment confirmed that the party had duly conducted primaries monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He criticized INEC for its "bias and unceasing opposition" against the Turaki-led faction, noting that the commission had initially refused to recognize their candidate and withheld necessary codes for ballot inclusion.

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The judgment confirmed what he described as bias and unceasing opposition by INEC against the Turaki-led INWC which, according to him, is the legitimate leadership of the party.

Despite the legal victory, Ememobong lamented the delay, stating it left no opportunity for Adedamola to campaign. He described the situation as "ugly" and avoidable if INEC had acted impartially. In response to these challenges, the PDP faction, after extensive consultations, decided to back Adeleke to defend multi-party democracy. They urged all PDP members to vote for Governor Adeleke on Saturday and ensure their votes are counted.

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Faced with the unimaginable difficulty that the situation put on PDP, the iNWC choose to throw its weight behind the Accord party candidature, Gov. Ademola Adeleke.